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The first phase of Cook Children’s new Medical Center North Campus held a grand opening event Oct. 26 in Prosper, according to a Cook Children’s news release.

Phase 1 includes an 18-room pediatric and urgent care center, which broke ground earlier this year and opened Oct. 15.

The pediatrics center, located at 4400 W. University Drive, offers well checks and immunizations, school and sports physicals, vision and hearing treatment, disease prevention, injury treatment and more.

The urgent care center, located at 4300 W. University Drive, will treat seasonal allergies, allergic reactions, injuries, bites and stings, illnesses, head injuries without loss of consciousness and more.

Prosper’s population is increasing by about 30 families a week, Prosper Mayor Ray Smith said in the news release. The populations of surrounding Collin and Denton counties are also rapidly expanding.

“These families with young children expect to be able to access good health care in the immediate area,” Smith said in the release. “The addition of Cook Children’s is the perfect solution. We are pleased to be able to tell our young moms and dads that there is a top-notch resource right here in Prosper.”

The second phase is underway with an outpatient surgery center, specialty clinic, and imaging and lab services. Phase 2 is set to open in 2020. Then in 2022, a new inpatient pediatric hospital is expected to open and offer a pediatric intensive care unit, emergency department, operating rooms and a surgical unit.

When complete, this will be Cook Children’s fourth medical center campus, and first full-service hospital built outside of Fort Worth in the system's 101-year history, according to the release.

“Cook Children’s has made a promise to improve the health of every child in our six-county region, and that means we have to continue to expand our reach to keep up with a rapidly growing area like we are seeing in Prosper and Denton County,” said Nancy Cychol, chief of Cook Children’s Hospital Services, in an April 25 news release. “By looking ahead at the growing pediatric health care needs in this community, we are ensuring our promise is kept.”

In addition, Children’s Health is building a 72-acre medical site about 3 miles away along US 380 at the Dallas North Tollway in Prosper. That site will offer pediatric health care services as well as corporate, hospitality and retail facilities, according to a Children’s Health news release.

Emily graduated from Sam Houston State University with a degree in multi-platform journalism and a minor in criminal justice in Spring 2018. During her studies, Emily worked as an editor and reporter at The Houstonian, SHSU's local newspaper. Upon graduation, she began an editorial internship at Community Impact Newspaper in DFW, where she was then hired as Community Impact's first McKinney reporter in August 2018.

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